BENEFIT 357: Sheikh Albāni's view on charity organisations

Questioner: There is an issue concerning charitable organisations. Some students of knowledge, particularly among the active Salafis, have formed an organisation called 'Al-Ḥikmah Al-Yamāniyyah Association'(1). This organisation distributes books and charitable aid to people, especially to students of knowledge. However, it has been suggested to them that such an initiative constitutes Hizbiyyah. In response, they seek your opinion on the matter. I do not believe that such a gathering and organisation has any connection to Hizbiyyah in the negative sense within Islam. Rather, this falls under what Allāh Almighty has commanded in the Qur'ān : "Cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and transgression." However, a charity organisation could be considered Hizbi if it deprives the needy and instead allocates its resources to those who are not truly in need. In such a case, it may fall into the realm of Hizbiyyah. But if a group of Muslims merely collaborates to collect donations from benefactors and distribute them in places that are religiously appropriate, then this is not Hizbiyyah in any way(2). That said, real-life experience with such organisations tells us—or at least suggests—that some of those in charge may, in some cases, prioritise fundraising not for the benefit of the poor but to sustain the salaries of employees. Thus, if the leaders of this association—whom we have stated are not involved in Hizbiyyah—are truly volunteering for the sake of Allāh Almighty, then their work is among the best deeds through which Muslims seek closeness to Allāh. In summary, there are two essential conditions: 1. The funds must not be collected for the benefit of one specific group at the exclusion of others. 2. The organisers must not seek personal gain from the money they manage. If these two conditions are met, then the work is indeed praiseworthy. ____ (1) This organisation includes former students of Sheikh Muqbil who broke away and caused division within the Salafi ranks in Yemen. https://muqbel.net/fatwa.php?fatwa_id=1365 (2) The Sheikh seems to be referring to a similar setup as this: https://t.me/almanhajussalafi/1378 https://t.me/almanhajussalafi/1387 (3) In a separate fatwa, the Sheikh mentions two additional conditions: 1. If establishing such an organisation—although not a necessity—requires depositing money into a bank, then this is sufficient to invalidate the project. 2. If it has to submit and work within the framework of man-made laws, this is yet another contravention (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission) These two additional conditions can be found in this clip: https://t.me/almanhajussalafi/1404